To Be Different
by Squee the magical bunny
Summary: To him, they were cold and apathetic, the perfect guards. To them, he was their charge, of alpha priority and to be protected at all costs. When several ANBU entered the magical world, will their distrust get the best of these silent protectors or will the wizards be able to look underneath the underneath? Original work by SaturnXK
1. In which it all began

Hello~! Squee the Magical Bunny here! So after a few weeks of editing the first chapter of To be Different is finally ready for posting!

TBH I was only planning on posting this after I got started on the second chapter but then I thought, Hey! These people deserve to read it! So here it is! ^_^

I hope I did the original story justice…RnR!

And very special credit goes to SaturnXK as the original Author!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter OR Naruto…

* * *

**EDIT (4/16/16): Squee again here! This is the reviewed/patched up/fixed chapter of To Be Different  
**

* * *

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, Tsunade decided as she read a reply letter sent to her with the most peculiar way that she was starting to get used to seeing. She pulled out a small piece of paper and wrote a short note on it, before sliding it under a large book on her table. She would have to personally deliver that later.

The client, 'Albus Dumbledore,' an old friend of the Third Hokage's, had send her a letter of a mission request about a week ago. After sifting through old personal records of the Third, she deemed the request legitimate and to be considered.

Soon, letters were written in return and reintroductions were made. Some minor kinks were smoothened out and the situation in the client's world was explained. Tsunade decided to accept the mission…regardless how, unusual the details. She just hoped this 'Patronus' jutsu Albus Dumbledore-san said would use to contact her in the future is as fast as he claimed it to be. She wasn't really fond of owls anyway. A 'phoenix' looked bigger than the owl but sounded much more efficient.

The 'overgrown bird-beast' as she put it, ruffled its feathers and flew to the other side of the room, watching the 'seemingly' young Hokage with bright, beady eyes.

"Mouse! Lizard! Sparrow!"

She activated the intercom on her table and barked for three of her ANBU personnel, knowing full well that they will have no problem hearing her due to the coms hidden in their masks.

Almost instantly, the two shinobi and a kunoichi dressed in black attire were kneeling on one knee in front of her, amidst the swirl of leaves from their entrance. Their uniform consisted of black capris and grey armor covering most of their body except their shoulders, where a curious tattoo shaped like an oriental swirl resided. Weapons of various kinds were strapped on their backs, showing just how lethal they can be.

Their faces were covered by a porcelain mask, stark white and decorated with elegant oriental strokes that depict the animals their codename came from.

Their body language betrays nothing of their emotions except the utmost respect for the village leader in front of them. The apparent leader, a shinobi that was Lizard spoke with a tone that suggests nonchalance yet with an undertone of a leader. He did a good job at ignoring yet not believing the undeniably peculiar sight of a nocturnal bird wide awake inside the tower in summer midafternoon.

"Yes, Hokage-sama?" _And is that a freaking owl?_

Of course, the last line was not spoken.

These are the ANBU, mysterious…lethal…silent. They are the killers of the night, murderers living in the shadows, acting only under the direct command of the Hokage. There are a thousand words that can describe them, assassin being the most truthful. There is no stealth mode for ANBU. ANBU is stealth mode.

These three particular ANBU, however, specialized in training new recruits and was their seniors that had taught them everything they had to know about being the Hokage's direct Special Forces.

"I need Cat, Hawk and Raven,"

She continued barking her orders, it was time to assemble the team that was chosen for the mission, starting from the trio that was Cat, Hawk and Raven that were free at the moment, "NOW,"

"As you wish, Hokage-sama," again, Lizard spoke in the same nonchalant voice. The three ANBUs dipped their heads ever so slightly and vanished in a swirl or leaves. They assemble for a brief moment on top of the Hokage Mountain before each shunshined to different directions. Lizard went to find Raven, or the 'ROOT kid' as the other senior ANBUs endearingly call him while Mouse and Sparrow went to find the Hyuuga cousins.

All the while Lizard was silently wondering who in the Elemental Countries would use an OWL to send messages. The absurdity of the method honestly gave him a headache, his habits as an intel and courier specialist seeping through.

Of COURSE an owl in the middle of broad daylight in summer isn't the least bit suspicious, but who cares…

_I'm retiring next month anyway, not my problem anymore._

* * *

Sparrow soon arrived at the Hyuuga main gate, Mouse had broken away from her before they arrived, going straight to Hawk's home. Since this particular junior of hers was a main branch family member and an heiress to boot, some level of protocol had to be followed and she had to make herself known to the shinobi in charge of the Hyuuga gates before entering to meet her.

But seeing the said shinobi in charge, she almost immediately felt disgusted.

The ninja was thoroughly and carefully picking his nose, rolling the results around and around his forefinger and thumb into a small hard ball before flicking it off. Before he could explore his other nostril, Sparrow announced her purpose quietly with disgust only an ANBU (or a shinobi with at least half a brain) could detect.

"I have come to see Hyuuga Hinata-san,"

His reaction was nothing short of comical. His face began turning into the most vibrant shade of puce while wiping his finger on his capris. Sparrow wrinkled her nose (not that he can see it) and shunshined into the compound, leaving the spluttering sorry excuse of a shinobi behind.

* * *

Hinata Hyuuga was happily at peace, enjoying her routine afternoon tea and sweet snacks in the compound garden accompanied by a few of the household servants. The garden was not much different from other Japanese styled gardens, with a flat rock for her to use as seating and a nice big pond for the Koi to swim in. There were also some bamboos planted to complete the Zen look her late mother so adored.

She had recently came back from a retrieval mission in Kirigakure and is eager to spend the precious few moments of relaxation she had in the comforts of her home instead of her ANBU quarters for a change.

However, her relaxation time was cut short when she felt a too carefully suppressed chakra getting nearer to the Hyuuga Compound main gate. Knowing who it was, she ushered the servants inside. They obeyed with a low bow, knowing better to eavesdrop on their mistress' conversation.

It was roughly a few months after the second anniversary of the last ninja war. The village and the Elemental Countries as a whole were healing, which is a good sign. They were excepting missions again, as a bid to gain money for renovations and reconstructions of the larger infrastructure that was destroyed. Although, some of said missions still required help from other nations and villages. The dead were mourned and the battles remembered like a large scar in history books, like all other wars. But all in all, it was slowly beginning to feel normal again, at least for her.

Soon she found herself face to face with said Kunoichi.

"Senpai,"

She greeted the ANBU with a bow, banishing away her last thoughts and focusing completely on the kunoichi cum messenger in front of her.

"The Hokage wishes to see you, Hinata,"

Sparrow said without so much of a return to Hinata's earlier greeting. However, she wasn't perturbed. She spends much of her time around them to know what they really mean. After all, look underneath the underneath. Besides, her senior was one of the most maternal ANBU instructors she had.

"Of course…I suppose its ANBU related since you're here?" She asked softly in her flute like voice.

Unlike most of her peers, she, her cousin and sometimes Shino didn't have much of a problem adopting their professional facade outside of the mask. She was used to the calm, quiet demeanor.

Naruto, Lee, and Ino however were too cheerfully bright to keep the act up while the others just found it to be too emotionally exhausting, being so uptight, professional and formal all of the time.

However, there are a special few, like Shikamaru, who just declared it to be 'too troublesome', and Sai, whose whole 'I-am-A-profesional-ANBU-look-at-my-pointy-weapons' act was practically already his own (admittedly not much of a) personality. Including Sasuke, whose natural personality already worked quite as well.

Another dip of Sparrow's head as a sign of admittance and she vanished in a swirl of leaves, leaving Hinata alone once more. She wasted no time in going inside to change into her usual training clothes instead of the plain yukata she was currently wearing, setting aside her tea and sweets.

Technically, ANBU costumes were only required during missions and official ceremonies. However, it was an unspoken, unwritten and unofficial agreement between them that to keep their image up, every ANBU should wear dark clothing alongside their masks when debriefing and handing of missions.

It admittedly made them look so much more badass.

It was a rule of the ANBU, however, that hair should always be above waist level when let loose, regardless of how they tie or style it. This led to most of her peers, including her, to trim their hair, much to Ino's (or Dove's) temporary chagrin. (_"If you are serious of being an ANBU, Yamanaka-san, I suggest you act like it-"_)

Ouch…

Putting on her own porcelain mask which featured a cat with snarling canines, she set off for the Hokage Tower.

* * *

"A guarding mission, Hokage-sama…?"

Raven asked in his usual blank tone as he scanned the contents of the scroll, each detail admittedly getting more ridiculous than the last. Wizard…? Killing curse…? Scar…? The only words that made sense to him was 'Evil snake lord'. Even that, it still sounded absurd.

"Yes…I know the circumstances are…different…at best but I have the utmost belief that all of you could manage this mission," She said briskly.

Besides, she personally would like to meet this civilian that caught the eye of her sensei so much in the past.

_Makes sense_, Hawk thought. Having two Hyuugas would make the mission that much easier.

"Will you accept the mission?"

One by one, the three accepted the mission.

"Good. Raven, you will be the second in command with Fox and Stag acting as first and third. Slug will be the lead medic if the three of them accepts,"

"Of course, Hokage-sama,"

"You may leave, but be prepared because I want you three to accompany me to Suna tomorrow to meet the Kazekage. I want him to join if possible. We'll set off at dawn and move in top speed,"

"Hai,"

"Shizune!" She called out for her assistant as soon as the trio disappeared from her office with swirls of leaves.

"Yes, Hokage-sama?" The young apprentice rushed into the office, slightly hoping that it wouldn't be for sake this time. They were rapidly running out of it and an alcohol-denied Hokage faced with paperwork is not something she would wish upon not even to her worst enemy.

"I need the fastest hawk available to send this to the Kazekage," Tsunade pulled out the note from under the book earlier and handed it to her.

"Right away," She immediately took the note and scrambled to the Hawkery to deliver it as quickly as she could.

Tsunade sighed, slumping into her seat and pulling out a bottle of sake from her secret stash. As she poured herself a cup, her mouth upturned into a grin, swishing the cup's intoxicating contents around and around. She was sure the Kazekage would love the chance to be involved in the mission and hand over some of the duller duties of being a Kage to Kankuro.

"A year without Naruto…or that lazy brat Shikamaru…" She began to give a princess-like high pitched laugh, gulping the alcohol down.

"Or Sai with that shit-eating grin of his…Or that emo Uchiha~" She rolled the words on her tongue, savoring the meaning. She poured herself another cup and drank it in one go, "Now this requires a celebration…!"

* * *

"AICHOO!" Fox groaned mentally as his nasal felt as if it was on fire. _Someone's talking about me_, he grumbled.

He managed to mostly ignore the pain radiating off the few senbons embedded in his forearm. They were on a simple assassination mission of a tyrant feudal lord. The lord had allied himself with a gang of thieves, who had stolen various forbidden jutsu scrolls in multiple villages, Konohagakure being one of the most recent.

They managed to track the lord to one of his many owned houses hidden in the forest at the outskirts of Iwagakure. They also found he had hired close to a hundred rouge nin as guards, which prompted a very familiar phrase out of their strategist.

However, the once a simple mission took a bloody turn when one of the rouge nin they initially took for interrogation managed to activate an explosive tag attached to his own body as a suicide attempt.

Needless to say the other nins were pissed when they heard the explosion, even more so when they saw nearly three squads of ANBU standing over the charred body of what used to be their comrade.

He was engaging in a short distance battle with one of the hired nin when the sneeze raked through his body.

On the corner of his eye he saw Dragon using one of her beloved toys, the hooked barbs at the edge of a sword-like weapon completely shredding her opponent's arm and leg. He could have sworn she was enjoying this, that sadist.

Soon he could feel sprays of dirt and grass hitting him followed with a loud battle cry, no doubt from one of Slug's chakra-enhanced punches.

The battle cry was quickly followed by the shrill sound akin to a thousand bird calls, but it was quickly dampened with a sickening squelch and the unmistakable crunch of bones. Snake huffed, that was the second Chidori he used in this battle. He really hoped that it was going to end soon, he didn't manage to finish his dinner, (_Soba with rice and Unagi…Mmm…_) and the chakra slowly depleting isn't doing much good, either.

_Snake really shouldn't use his special technique_; Fox pondered slightly and managed to pull the senbons out of his arm. That is, before slamming his Rasengan onto another ninja's stomach. The bastard was creeping up on him from behind.

Said ninja flew halfway across the battlefield before crashing into a huge tree, slumping onto the ground, his abdomen now merely nothing other than ribbons of intestine and meat. _Then again…I shouldn't either…Oh well…_ He dodged several kunai and shuriken before throwing some of his own.

Stag, being the other side of the battlefield, used a more…relaxed, approach. He didn't charge at his opponents like his comrades. He preferred waiting. He used a charging nin as a springboard and quickly silted his throat in one fluid motion. The after effects were not exactly mess-free.

He wasted no time swiped the nin's legs with his using his arms as anchors. The nin fell on the ground, his head hitting the earth with a loud crack. He detected two poorly conceal chakra signatures behind him and threw a few shuriken, each hitting a vital organ. _Much cleaner_, he marveled in personal approval.

Another nin threw an explosive tag attached to a kunai, which of course, Stag dodged easily. The kunai embedded itself on the tree behind him with a familiar thud. He did not, however, expect the nin to activate it that quickly. The chips of burning wood did little to damage his armor.

Not far from him, Slug glowered around the seemingly empty battlefield (except for Stag and his opponents a little farther to her right) she was in, _seriously! We just supposed to take them out QUIETLY! How did it get this messy?_

She could feel tiny tremors in the ground she was standing in, surely coming from her opponent. It felt like it was coming from different places all at once and made it almost impossible for her to accurately detect the ninja, obviously an earth user. She growled and decided to take the shortcut she learned from one of her ANBU handlers. She carefully used her own chakra to 'enhance' the small vibrations. The vibration turned into pulses in which she could now properly feel. It was getting closer…closer…a bit more…

"SHANNARO!"

She punched the earth, making a huge crater in the process, dirt flying everywhere. She smirked at the sight of the dead earth nin caught in her punch. The nin's limbs were sprawled at an awkward angle while his head was twisted unnaturally, exposing his blank face, blood seeping out of his mouth.

Stag managed to get out of the way but he threw a scowl to his teammate, who managed to get a picture despite it being hidden by his mask. But at least some of the nin he was facing was dead as well.

Tortoise was clearly the most enthusiastic of the ANBUs. He planted his palms onto the ground and he delivered kick after kick to the female nin he was facing, making sure to stay clear of her 'assets'. He might be an ANBU sent on a mission to kill these nins but he's still a man. And it's _unyouthful for any man to treat women less than the princesses they are_. He then leaped up and stood on both her shoulder, using his knees to twist her head thus snapping her neck, killing her instantly. He leaped off, pulling the same move on another nin. _At least it's quick for them! Slow and painful in death is quite unyouthful!_

The other ANBUs were in pursuit of the feudal lord, who manage to took almost twenty men with him before fleeing into the dark forest.

Soon, the battle was over and the ANBU squad found themselves standing over piles of dead bodies. Soon, the other ANBUs returned, with bodies of the other rouge nins and the feudal lord carried like sacks upon their shoulders. They dropped it unceremoniously before they began their inspection, managing to find the stolen scrolls hidden inside one of the rouge nin's lolling tongue, thanks to Akamaru.

"A seal…" Stag said as he inspected the tongue and frowned. "These seals are quite common but quite-"

"-Troublesome, we know," Fox grinned silently while checking the seal himself.

Stag sighed, "The seal needs a steady stream of chakra to remain imprinted. If not…the seal will disappear and the contents lost forever…See, the edges are already fading…"

Fox hummed, knowing about the seal as well, "The seal needs to be at full power to enable the seal to be broken" He pointed out. True to his word, the black marks are fading fast, leaving only small slashes on the nin's slimy lolling appendage, "But it's pretty basic, we should have no problem with this,"

"But obviously we can't do it here," Boar huffed, deflating himself after using his family jutsu, "Too vulnerable,"

"So that just means we have to bring it back," Slug simply said. Stag nodded, confirming her hypothesis.

"Alright. Slug and I are going to keep chakra pumping while I need Wolf and Akamaru to support the body. Snake, Dove and Boar will come and cover us. We'll have to move fast. The rest of you stay here and clear the surrounding." Fox gave his orders after a few moments of thought. "…What do you think?" He consulted the squad's strategist.

Stag nodded, giving his consent and approval.

"Good, give us a few minutes before cleanup," Fox and Slug were already loading the body onto Akamaru with Snake, Dove and Boar in tow. They shunshined out of the bloody battlefield, leaving the rest of the squad behind for cleanup duty.

* * *

It was well after nightfall when the rest of the squad managed to reach Konohagakure. Fox managed to break the seal and the forbidden scrolls were retrieved without many problems.

Now, he and Stag went to the Hokage Tower for their oral report. Hopefully their leader would be merciful and would give them a night's rest before asking for their written report.

"Will that be all? Hokage-sama?" Fox asked as Tsunade reviewed their mission and wrote it into the official record, a brush gracefully stroked on the scroll.

"No…actually," she surveyed the two blood-crusted ANBU in front of her, beckoning them to sit down. They looked at each other for a fleeting moment and obeyed, having a feeling that it was going to be a long night.

* * *

"You have got to be kiddingggggggg…"

Naruto groaned to his co-captain. Their masks hanged limply from their belts as they made their way into ANBU headquarters. _The mission briefing ended a half hour ago and he's still complaining_, Shikamaru sighed. But it's not like he doesn't have a good reason.

A mission outside the Elemental Countries was scarce at best and avoided for a reason. The Elemental Countries were the world's biggest secrets, kept so hidden that only a select few have even the slightest knowledge about it. This 'Albus Dumbledore' must be important to be one of those very, VERY select few.

"Well you were the one that wanted more 'awesome' mission," He snorted, "And besides, if you didn't want it so bad, why accept?"

"But not this!" Naruto whined, sounding like an overgrown child and conveniently ignoring his last question, "And it involves so many of us too…You…Me…Uhh…" She counted with his fingers, "Sakura-chan, Hinata-chan, Teme, Sai, Ino…" He paused again, "Neji, Kiba, Gaara and Tenten,"

"If they accept," Shikamaru yawned and sighed, "For now it's just you, me, Hinata, Neji and Sai,"

He didn't really pay attention to his squad leader's complaints, thinking of how there was still so much to do. He needed to get his clothes washed and the blood removed before it stains. He was sure the others were already fast asleep and he needed to sore his back bending over a plastic tub full of smelly bleach. So troublesome…It was times like these when he wished his wife and child were at Konoha.

He waved Naruto good night as he trudged into his apartment the ANBU so kindly gave to him while Shikamaru made his way towards his own home. At least the written report was delayed.

While washing his clothes, the strategist decided a one-year mission guarding a magical castle wouldn't be too bad after all.

As he lay in bed, drifting to Lala-land, he had one last coherent thought, maybe, just maybe, this 'Harry potter' gaki has enough brains to keep out of trouble and do something not stupid for a change.

* * *

It was almost 3 o'clock in the morning the day after they set off when Cat, Hawk, Raven and their Lady Hokage reached the hardened sand-walled village that is Sunagakure. Despite it being summer, the dessert was freezing at night and they greeted the warmed Kazekage office with inaudible relief.

They were standing behind their seated Hokage, each at her sides. She herself was facing the Sabaku no Gaara, the current Kazekage as she explained the mission and her request. It was only the five of them; Gaara had trusted Konoha enough to comply when Tsunade requests absolute privacy during any of their meetings between the two villages.

"So you want me to join in this mission?" He raised a non-existent eyebrow.

"Yes, Kazekage-sama," Tsunade respectfully nodded, confirming his statement.

"Why?"

"We believe your sand would make a great asset to the squad…Your sand, alongside Fox's Bunshins, will drastically make surveillance a lot better," She explained, "In addition," Her tone seemed to grow soft as it was filled with a kind of fondness, "You were a huge help to Konoha during a lot of troubled times. With the amount of money the client offers, it's more than enough to share between our two villages. Consider this a token of gratitude from us after all you had done,"

The Kazekage, although didn't make it known felt slightly touched at the gesture. Though he still had to ponder it for a while, ultimately agreeing under the pretense of friendship between Konoha and Suna.

"Very well. I accept the mission,"

It was not long after they discussed, written out and signed the official papers when a mist of pure bluish white burst into the room and taking the form of a silver bird that only Tsunade knew. The very client they were discussing had sent a picture of the bird that the Patronus Jutsu will take form.

What happened then was to be expected. The ANBU unsheathed their various weapons. A trickle of fine sand slithered out of the gourd strapped on the Kazekage's back.

"Tsunade-sama, it's Albus Dumbledore," The silvery, misty bird opened his beak and a slightly accented voice belonged to what sounded like an old man filtered through. "I'm afraid I need your help now more than ever,"

Tsunade trusted the apparition of the bird, and the man whose voice was coming from it. No one in the elemental nations could ever dream of imagining, much less creating a bird like that. She gestured for her ANBUs to lower their weapons but proceed with caution. But the Kazekage was not that easily to convince, sand still streamed steadily out of the guard and around the floor in which the phoenix was floating.

"The mission needs to be carried out much earlier than expected. I know this must be terribly inconvenient for you but there was an emergency. I daresay to say, If convenient, please accept. If inconvenient, I beg of you, please accept anyway,"

The Hokage could sense the genuine desperation and said rather begrudgingly, "Alright…We accept if we are able to," The sum offered was too huge for her to pass on anyway.

The voice sighed, as though one of the things he had to do was crossed out from his list, "Thank you….I shall come in a few days after I sort things out with my own wizards. I'm afraid it will be a week earlier than supposed, and the rendezvous point will not be the same as we discussed as well,"

Tsunade glanced at Raven and Gaara who nodded.

"Alright. That won't be a problem," She confirmed.

"Though may I ask, Dumbledore-san, what is the emergency?" Raven asked, trying not to seem rude (because six zeros is a huge number). He hoped that this client had no more 'emergencies' like this. It would be a mess to get sorted out.

"This is Raven," Tsunade made the point to introduce the ebony haired youth, "Second in command of the mission,"

"Of course, Raven-san, Tsunade-sama. I have just received news that Harry Potter was attacked…By what we believe Dementors now in Voldemort's control…"

* * *

Welp! That's it for now :DDDD

See ya next time~!

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**EDIT (4/16/16) : So y****es, I fixed quite a lot to make the flow of the story better and to strengthen the foundation of the story. I would like to remind everyone again that this is based on SaturnXK's version of To Be Different, and I intend to keep it quite close to the original as a sort of tribute to her.**


	2. AUTHOR'S NOTE!

So hi again everyone! **Squee the Magical Bunny **here! So yeah, I'm sorry I haven't posted anything in ahwhile. It's just that time flew by so fast and busier! But, fear not! I'm now free until June and got the second chapter ready to be posted~ I'm all hyped to get started on the third~

(Originally, I wanted **SaturnXK **to read through it first but she hasn't replied to my PM. I guess she might be busy sooo I thought, What the heck? I'm gunna post it anyway XDD

Okay so in a few hours give or take, I'll be posting the next chapter so stay tuned!

And **BONUS****: **I made some changes to the first chapter just to tidy some things up and to make the flow better. Go check it out in the meantime kay~? 3

Cheers,

_**SQUEE THE MAGICAL BUNNY**_


	3. In which it all started

As promised~ The second chapter of **To be Different**, posted and ready for reviews!

But before that, I have to make a few things very clear okay?

1) _**DIVERGING FROM CANON**_

As you know, I adopted this fic from **SaturnXK** and I consider this first and foremost her fic, her baby. So I might not stick to Naruto Canon if it goes against the fic too much. Okay?

2) _**ADDING MY OWN CHARACTER**_

With that being said however, I still would like to retain Gaara in this fic since Saturn loves him so much XD And will be adding **Sai **and **Sasuke** into the lineup. Hope this would work!

3) _**ANBU**** INVOLVED**_

Naruto - Fox

Sasuke - Snake

Sakura - Slug

Sai - Raven

Hinata - Cat

Kiba - Wolf

Tenten - Dragon

Neji - Hawk

Shikamaru - Dear

Ino - Dove

Gaara - Raccoon

**Extra **(Mentioned but not involved in mission)

Choji - Boar

Lee - Tortoise

*Lizard, Mouse and Sparrow are ANBU instructor OCs that I added in as extras.

4) **_HONORABLE MENTIONS_**

**-**In which I reply to reviews left by my amazing readers-

Krazyfanfiction1 : Well, I can't touch to much on the subject other than say that I will keep to what Saturn had done. So I'm sorry but you just have to stay tuned ^_^)

MysteryAsia , Wanted2234 and mustbeatuesday : Don't worry, I understand where you guys are coming from! :D

And to all my other reviewers, Favourites and Follows, I can't thank you enough for the love and support you've given this fic! I love you guys 3

* * *

While Harry Potter was asleep after the harrowing night he had encountered, five lithe figures were battling the sands of the desert to get to the hidden leaf village. The journey could take up to two days, depending on the mercy of the sand surrounding them. Thankfully, they have ample time to recuperate once they had reached there, their client confirming that he would personally come to fetch the ninjas he hired in four days.

Tsunade had sent a hawk in advance to her secretary, prompting her to give word to the rest of the ANBU hired to start packing and preparing for their mission. It would end only the beginning of next summer so they need to start prepping.

Gaara himself quickly transferred the authority of acting Kazekage to his brother as soon as the situation was relayed, effective immediately. After offering the Hokage and her three ANBU personnel a chance to rest for a few hours in the nearby inn, they had set off at the crack of dawn. Cat was behind the two Kages (One of which were already garbed in his ANBU attire) while Hawk and Raven at the front. The desert was still cold but the temperature will surely and steadily rise with the sun.

* * *

After a long day and a half journey, they had reached the outskirts of the forest surrounding Konoha. The tall bulky trees had provided much needed shade after battling the harsh desert sun. They were now resting at an abandoned hut that travellers were free to use. The took the opportunity to have some of their packed and rationed food as Tsunade elaborated further on their client to the Kazekage.

"We do have records of Albus Dumbledore-san meeting the Third around ten or so years ago," She bit into her bread and took a swig of water from her canteen. The three ANBU were refilling theirs using the water from a nearby spring, leaving the two village leaders to discuss more private things.

"It was…Not a very legal trip by his people's means," She explained after heavily swallowing the mixture of bread and water, "His people's politics are petty…Bah…But he intrigued the old man…And after Dumbledore-san explained the situation, the both of them sort of…Stroke a chord with one other. He was sad, when I told him that the old man passed away,"

Throughout the explanation, Gaara didn't say much and after she finished, he gave a soft hum to indicate that he fully understood. Thankfully, Gaara managed to be briefed about the mission's details before that…'bird' had abruptly formed inside his office. He was admittedly interested of this foreign world, knowing about it only through hushed words of the Elders when he first was appointed as Kazekage and through secret scrolls stashed deep inside the Suna library.

Taking a swig of his own drink, he let out a barely audible chuckle, his mouth quirking a few millimeters

"Yes?" Tsunade questioned him, raising a thin immaculate eyebrow.

"You Konoha ninjas…" He said with a tone of well concealed amusement, looking up to see the sunlight filter across the leaves fluttering on their branches, "You really have a knack of getting yourselves into surprising situations,"

The Hokage scoffed. Her own mouth forming a smirk as she raised the canteen to the Kazekage, as though toasting him, "Heh, the sooner you know, the better Kazekage-sama,"

* * *

"Yo! Sakura!"

Sakura Haruno turned to see the source of the call, "Ah...Naruto…Good morning," She was carrying an armful of paper bags filled to the brim with medicine items and ingredients that even Naruto was unsure what it was. She stopped walking, waiting for the blond to catch up with her. She gave him a cheerful and bright smile.

"Do you need help?" He questioned as he got nearer, referring to the paper bag. She shook his head.

"No, I can handle it," She reassured, "What's wrong? Do you need anything?"

"Not particularly, just needed to talk to you. Can we go to Sasuke's? We can stop by your place to drop off your…Uh…Groceries,"

"Of course Naruto," She agreed, knowing Naruto would ever want to meet them in private was because of any ANBU missions, "Let's get going,"

* * *

When they arrived at the Uchiha compound, Sasuke was sharpening his weapons. He was grinding the edges of a kunai against the whetstone methodically. Beside him was a pile of other Kunais and Shurikens alongside his sword. He heard a knock at the door accompanied with a loud cry.

"Yo, Sasuke!" He heard his door being knocked, "Come out here will ya? I need to talk to you. Sakura-chan's here too!"

He sighed as he heard the loud voice of his blonde teammate. Sasuke stopped what he was doing and set the items aside. He got up on his feet and went outside to meet them. If both Naruto and Sakura were here, then he could predict what he wanted to talk to him about.

"Yo! Teme! Bout time!" Naruto gave his ever sunny smile and raised his hand as a way of greeting. Sakura greeted him politely, apologizing for their intrusion. Without her knowing, her teammates were rather impressed at how she was much more mature than the Sakura they were first assigned with.

"Good morning Sasuke-kun,"

He gave his signature hum in reply to their greetings and closed the door behind him. He knew it won't take too long, "I take it you have something to tell us if you're meeting us together Dobe,"

"So what if I do?" He gave a friendly scoff, "Maa…" His light and playful tone began to soften and turned a bit serious, "I just want to give you guys a head's up. We have a mission soon; a big one, no, HUGE. It's ranked A Class for now. Tsunade-baachan will give you briefings when she returns,"

"Ahh…So that's it…" Sakura nodded and sounding thoughtful. She sat down on a flat mossy rock under a tree nearby Sasuke's door. Naruto was standing up, with his hands crossed and looking at his teammates with his cerulean eyes which were now filled with a kind of seriousness that the other two thought didn't quite suit the blonde. Besides, he _was_ notoriously known for his sunny and playful attitude (outside the mask of course). Sasuke crossed his own arms, leaning against the door.

"How long?" He questioned.

"We will only return next summer so if you accept the mission, pack for the cold as well," He slipped in the reminder, "Bring anything you need but we will have quite comfortable accommodations as well as food. We should be joined by Gaara and seven others,"

Sakura and Sasuke knew better than to ask more since they would know who will be their teammates during the briefing anyway. It was just customary for their team Captain to give a head's up before long missions so that they could purchase any necessary supplies. For Sakura, this was particularly crucial since she would need time to gather and pack enough supplies to last the whole group for an entire year!

But, she reminded herself that with a group that large (eleven, she mentally did the math), there should be more than one medic nin and they could share medicine and ingredients between them.

"So that's all, I'll see you during the briefing,"

"Hai,"

"Hnn…"

* * *

Tsunade was going through several stacks of her paperwork when several poofs were heard. When she looked up, eleven ANBUs were already on one knee, and a large dog that sat on his muscular hind legs obediently. They were finally called to meeting her for their mission briefing. They stood up one by one and waited for her to speak.

"ANBUs," She set her brush down, "I'm glad to see you're all here. As you might have heard from Fox and Stag, I have a new mission for you. A mission outside of the Elemental countries,"

The ANBU that didn't know about that particular detail blinked in shock under their masks. But of course, they didn't let it be too obvious.

_Damn dobe...When you said the mission was big, I never thought it's THIS big… _Sasuke hissed to himself while the others seemed to be thinking along the same lines.

"Outside the Elemental Countries, there is a secret community of wizards; humans that are born with a magic coil that's similar to our own chakra. They can perform various feats in an aid of a wand and incantations which I was make known will concentrate the energy inside of them and project it," She explained to the ninjas the info she had gotten from their client, "However, their own world have their own share of evils. The most prominent is known as Lord Voldemort. He had tried to kill a boy 15 years ago. But somehow it backfired on him and seemed to kill him in the process. But as of last year, he has risen to power once more and is now a threat more than ever. That is the rundown of what had happened. I'm sure when you're there you'll know the full story,"

She pulled out a scroll from her drawer, "Our client, Albus Dumbledore-san wanted to hire the best ninja he could to guard the boy which Voldemort tried to kill, as well as protect his school from any and all threats," She threw the scroll to Fox who caught is effortlessly, "His name is Potter Harry. Or in their way of speaking, Harry Potter,"

"Those will be the mission details as well as Potter-san's description. I should remind you that the boy is of alpha priority, he is prophesized to one day bring down Lord Voldemort and restore peace in their world. You must NOT let him die. If he does, it's possible Lord Voldemort WILL rule over not just the wizard community, but non-magical folk as well. He might even take an interest the Elemental Countries. I'm sure you all know how we are still reeling from the last war. We cannot afford another one,"

"Understood Hokage-sama," All of them chorused.

"Alright. Fox, Raven, Stag, Hawk, Cat and Raccoon had accepted the mission. I need to hear your answer," She casted her eyes to Dove, Dragon, Snake, Slug and Wolf, "Do you accept?"

One by one said that they will accept the mission while Akamaru gave a loud bark.

"Very good," She gave a satisfied smile, "I'll let Dumbledore-san know that everyone is ready. For now study Potter-san's features and discuss what you need. Dismissed,"

The Anbus disappeared into swirls of leaves and one in a swirl of sand.

* * *

As the sky on the day Dumbledore claimed he would arrive brightened, eleven ANBU personnel and a large nin dog were already lined up into a row in front of the Hokage, prepared for their long term mission. All of them were fully garbed with their satchels, weapons and supplies, armed to the teeth as well. Fox took some time before their client was supposed to arrive by going through some of his suggestions with their village leader, who listened with sharp eyes and rapt attention.

"I understand," She responded after they had finished explaining, "I shall bring it up to Dumbledore-san later. If he agrees, I give you my permission,"

Judging from the letters she gotten and also the little 'surprise' at Racoon's office, this particular client seemed to be more open minded and would listen to them if they have a request. And since this request could make the mission immensely easier, he might actually agree.

"Hai. Thank you Hokage-sama," Fox gave a low bow and stepped back into line.

At sharply 6 am, there was a loud crack as a figure seemed to swirl into view. The ninjas didn't seem perturbed since they were expecting a client. Though, their hands were always ready to whip out a kunai or a shuriken if necessary.

Raven, Cat and Hawk wasn't surprised when they could finally see for themselves who and how their client looks like. He really was how his voice suggested being; calm, wise and greeted them with twinkling eyes behind polished half-moon spectacles.

"I believe a good morning is in order?" He spoke in slightly accented Japanese and gave a polite smile which was almost hidden by his busy white beard. It was quite a majestic piece of work, that beard of his; Dove admitted to herself. (She was always quick to notice these sorts of things).

It was pure white like the lilies she so often worked with and tumbled down to the old wizard's deep purple robe like a long waterfall, ending up being tucked under his belt.

"Welcome," Tsunade greeted him, "It's an honor to finally meet such a close friend of the Third's,"

"And it's a pleasure to finally meet you, Hokage-sama," His aging yet strong baritone was heard, slow yet as clear as his blue eyes. She turned to Tsunade and gave a customary bow.

"ANBUs," After a pause, "I would like to introduce Albus Dumbledore-san, headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And I believe as of now, our client,"

The aging headmaster surveyed the team he hired, giving them a nod of greeting.

"Dumbledore-san, might I introduce to you the personnel involved with the mission?" She gestured to the eleven armor clad special ops ninjas in front of her.

Usually, Tsunade would spare the trivialities of introducing one by one of hired ANBUs. However, this particular mission will have tendencies to be political and diplomatic. So, she decided that the headmaster should have an inkling of who will be guarding his students, "Fox will be the captain,"

Fox stepped out of the row again and gave a brisk bow before straightening his back and stepping back in line.

"You've met Raven,"

Raven did the same, stepping out, bowing and after standing back up, going back into the row.

"Stag, strategist and Slug, head medic,"

Slug and Stag stepped out together, giving the same gestures as their captain and second-in command.

"And the others, Snake, Cat, Hawk, Dove, Dragon, and Wolf with his partner Akamaru. Finally, this is Raccoon. He is not from my country but he is the leader of a country that had been a close friend and ally to ours. I wanted him to share this experience as well,"

The others didn't step out, bowing from the row. Akamaru dipped his head slightly with a soft whine.

"I'll leave it to Dumbledore-san to explain everything he needs. Now I can only wish you the best of luck," She gestured for him to proceed.

"Thank you Hokage-sama," They chorused.

"Very well…I trust your leader to pick the best she could to guard my students," His small smile didn't leave his lips, "It's an honor to meet all of you. I've seen for myself what ninjas such as yourselves can do and I believe I am hiring the best people I can for the job,"

"Thank you, Dumbledore-san," Other than a slight tumble in pronouncing the foreign English name, Fox didn't seem fazed in conversing with him, "We shall try our best to protect the children of your school,"

Dumbledore looked satisfied at Fox's answer, "I believe you will, Mister Fox. Now, firstly I have to cast a spell on each of you. Not many people speak Japanese in the Order I'm afraid," He briefly explained, sparing a glance to the Hokage who nodded in understanding.

"Of course, but can I take a few more moments of your time?"

Dumbledore gave her his full attention, "But of course Hokage-sama, what can I be of assistance?"

"Fox and Stag requested for most of the team to be sent to Hogwarts early, to get a layout and familiarize themselves with the castle," She explained, "Of course, some of them will stay with Potter-san to guard him. They shall work out between them which of them would be best to stay with Potter-san and which of them will leave. I give you my word whoever they pick would still be able to guard him efficiently,"

"I see…" He paused and his polite smile turned into a thoughtful frown, "…Very well…I shall make the necessary arrangements, both with the staff and the caretaker. Please wait for me to tell you when it's ready,"

"Hai," the eleven ninjas spoke together.

"Now then…" He pulled out his wand from his robe. The ANBU slightly tensed up but Tsunade raised her hand slightly, a signal for them to stand down.

"Like I said, this will be a spell so you could speak and understand English while retaining your Japanese," One by one, he casted the spell that was aimed at their throat. It resembled a waft of purple smoke that coiled around their necks and diffused into their skin.

_So that's a wand, _Slug eyes the long rod of wood held by the old hand in interest. She rubbed her throat which tingles after the spell was casted, _it must be special kind of wood, to be able to support the flow of their magic like that._

"Do you understand me now?" The old wizard spoke again, this time in English.

The eleven ninjas nodded and the dog whined, "Y-yes…" Fox tried to test the foreign language.

Dumbledore's smile brightened, "Alright then," He checked his ornate watch, "Not long now," He pulled two other items from his robe, a green bottle marred with scratches and dirt, and a piece of parchment. He placed the bottle on Tsunade's table and handed the parchment to Fox. He scanned through the English words and then stowed it into his back pocket without a word.

"This will take us to the headquarters," Dumbledore switched back to Japanese so Tsunade would be able to understand them, "Each of you place a finger here now. Hurry, hurry,"

The ninjas looked uncertain that the old bottle would be able to transport them anywhere, but they complied. Akamaru stood on his hind legs and touch a paw against the bottle.

"It will be nearly 12:30 pm when you arrive," He explained, "Some of the Order members will be waiting to welcome you. Now, brace yourselves. In three…"

Tsunade watched them with a bead of sweat streaking down her temple, gulping slightly. She could feel a bit of a pressure radiating steadily from the bottle as the headmaster counted down A light began to sparkle and soon shined from the depths of the bottle.

"Two…"

The ninjas braced themselves as the light got brighter.

"One,"

With a jerk of their navel and a sudden flash of light that even prompted Tsunade to shield her eyes, the ninjas and the dog swirl out of existence.

* * *

At Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, the atmosphere was rather heavy and stagnant with negative emotions.

Uncertainty…

Doubt…

Even fear.

Usually the atmosphere was light hearted despite the secrecy and danger surrounding them and the dingy house they were in. However, after they knew who Dumbledore had hired to guard Harry, they seemed to be unable to feel the same. While the young ones were curious about these guards, most of the older members of the Order were scandalized to know who the guards were. Unlike the populace of the Elemental Countries, wizards from old families and high ranking Aurors knew what kind of people lived there- mercenaries and warriors that only the highest payer were safe from.

"What is he playing with…Hiring NINJAS to guard Harry…?" Harry Potter's father, Sirius Black growled ever so softly. He ran a hand through his straggly locks. Lunch had long finished but almost none of the Order members made a move, waiting for the ninjas to arrive. Only Mad Eye had went upstairs, saying he wanted to check on the brooms that were going to be used for the flight tonight.

"I supposed we'll just have to see, won't we Sirius?" Molly Weasley said with sort of stiff tone. She was sitting next to Sirius' left while Lupin on his right. The children and the rest of the Order members that were present were scattered across the table seating.

As soon as she said that, there was a flash of light from the hallway. They heard several heavy thuds, short breathed oofs and clinks of metal accompanied by several hushed tones speaking a language they didn't understand.

"Well…" Lupin stood up and pulled out his wand, "I suppose we're about to find out- Stay HERE kids," He turned, warning the Weasley children and also Hermione. The other adults followed Lupin's lead and followed him to the hallway.

To their initial horror, they saw several figures that could very well be in Death Eater garbs. With their dark and grey scheme and masks decorated with oriental swirls that depict snarling animals. What more, their backs were strapped with weapons that were downright _barbaric. _Swords, scrolls and even a gourd! There was even a dog bigger than a wolf!

Lupin raised his wand along with half a dozen others, looking bewildered. This couldn't be the ninjas Dumbledore hired! They were more like murderers, not guards!

"Who are you?!" Sirius demanded, looking almost as shocked as his best friend. He aimed straight at the one with long pale blond hair who was nearest to him.

The ninjas slowly got up. Hands hovering over the pack strapped to their legs, "We are ANBU hired by Dumbledore-san," One of them spoke. He had shockingly golden blonde hair and they could see blue eyes shining through the holes of his mask.

"You can't be!" Molly's voice raised several pitches, "How do we know they're not in league with You-Know-Who?!"

"If you people would actually care to listen to my captain," A voice groused out, sounding frosty and annoyed. It came from one of the guards with ebony black hair and a sword strapped to his back. He was right beside the blond that spoke, "You would know that Dumbledore gave something to him to relay which I'm sure would clear up the situation,"

His sharp tongue immediately silenced the wizards. The ninja behind him, a female with short pastel pink hair mumbled something to him that was inaudible.

The blond ninja who they knew was now the captain nodded. His hand slipped into his back pocket and pulled out a piece of folded parchment. He threw the parchment as though it was a shuriken with one hand and it landed right at Sirius' feet.

He bent down and picked it up, opening it in the meantime. Once his back was fully straightened, he read the short note with the handwriting he knew to be the headmaster's.

* * *

_To whomever of the Order it may concern, these are the guards hired and chosen to protect Harry. I can fully ensure that they are no way a threat unless threatened_

_-Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore._

* * *

"They're telling the truth…" He folded it back and rumpled it in his free fist, though still frowning and looking unsatisfied. How can they hope to protect his godson when they looked like they are equipped to kill him?!

They heard thuds of wood against carpet from behind them, "They're here already? The guards?"

"Yes Mad-Eye," Lupin replied the question of the overzealous auror.

"Good, good," His gruff voice sounded satisfied, "Vigilant too. I like them. Come, come," He gestured for them to follow him, "I'm Mad-Eye Moody,"

The other Order members looked even more horrified that Mad-Eye was so easy to call the lethal looking guards as one of their own.

Fox nodded, not minding much about the tangible feelings he felt radiating from the wizards, "Where's Potter-san?" He questioned him, pinning him as the man that would actually give them what they need, a man that meant business.

"I'll tell you in the meeting room. We're picking him up tonight,"

"I see…" Fox said a few more words in Japanese to the ninjas behind him as they seemed to look at one another. One of them replied back with an equally hushed tone, a lanky looking one with hair tied tightly on the top of his head. They couldn't sense it, but the ninjas were uncertain of this seasoned and battered wizard with an electric blue eye. Although it didn't have Ibiki's stare, it was still creepy to see it move around on it's own accord like that.

"…Lead us the way, Moody-san,"

As the ninjas followed the auror, Ron and Hermione looked at each other, speechless. Their eyes easily conveyed what each other was thinking.

_Harry will NOT be happy._

* * *

So that's all for now! I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. I'll try to write the best I can for chapter 3 so stay tuned and review!


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